Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) neoplasm or tumor, tissue composed of cells that grow in an abnormal way. Normal tissue is growth-limited, i.e., cell reproduction is equal to cell death. Feedback controls limit cell division after a...

(Encyclopedia) sentence, in criminal law, punishment that a court orders, imposed on a person convicted of criminal activity. Sentences typically consist of fines, corporal punishment, imprisonment for varying perio...

(Encyclopedia) celestial horizon, one axis of the altazimuth coordinate system. It is the great circle on the celestial sphere midway between the observer's zenith and nadir; it divides the celestial sphere into two...

(Encyclopedia) Inukai, Ki (Tsuyoshi) kē ĭno͞oˈkī; tso͞oyōˈshē [key], 1855–1932, Japanese statesman. He became president of the Seiyukai party in 1929 and was prime minister from Jan. to May, 1932. His cab...

(Encyclopedia) tartar, dental, precipitate of saliva that accumulates around teeth at the gum line. Composed primarily of calcium salts, tartar forms as a hard brownish substance that irritates gums and causes them ...

(Encyclopedia) necrotizing fasciitis, a quickly progressing infection of the skin that spreads along the fascia, the tissue that covers the muscles. (Necrotizing infections that spread along the outer skin layers ar...

(Encyclopedia) assault, in law, an attempt or threat, going beyond mere words, to use violence, with the intent and the apparent ability to do harm to another. If violent contact actually occurs, the offense of batt...

(Encyclopedia) phlebitis fləbīˈtĭs [key], inflammation of a vein. Phlebitis is almost always accompanied by a blood clot, or thrombus, in the affected vein, a condition known as thrombophlebitis (see thrombosis)...

(Encyclopedia) mordant môrˈdənt [key] [Fr.,=biting], substance used in dyeing to fix certain dyes (mordant dyes) in cloth. Either the mordant (if it is colloidal) or a colloid produced by the mordant adheres to t...

(Encyclopedia) sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or crib death, sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant under one year of age (usually between two weeks and eight months old). SID...